My Goal Is To Play For India, But I Am Not Consumed By It- Jaydev Unadkat
Saurashtra pace bowler Jaydev Unadkat revealed that the selections are not in his hands but he will continue striving hard and make a comeback to the Indian team in the near future.
The 30-year-old was the leading wicket-taker in the 2019-20 Ranji season, taking 67 wickets in 10 matches. However, the pandemic combined with poor luck ensured that he couldn’t make it to the national side, for which he last played back in 2018.
“My goal is still to play for India, but I am not consumed by it like I was at the start of my career. I didn’t really enjoy winning a Ranji game back then like I do now.”
“That was the turning point – I started enjoying every game I played. I tried to set more immediate goals, which made it a little more realistic and I could be in control of the situation. Selections are not in your hands,” Unadkat told ESPNcricinfo.
“Wish I could be there doing such things” – Jaydev Unadkat on wanting to play Tests
Jaydev Unadkat stated that he enjoys watching Test cricket and majorly enjoys bowling spells but also mentioned that he would like to be there playing for India instead of having to watch it from home.
“The most difficult times [for me] are while watching good, intense spells of fast bowling in Test cricket. I was on the edge of my sofa for [Jasprit] Bumrah’s spells in the Newlands Test, and watching the way Pat Cummins, [Josh] Hazlewood, and [Mitchell] Starc bowled in the first Ashes Test.”
“I pace around in front of the TV and start talking about the spells with whoever is around. More often than not, it is Rinny, my wife. I do wish I could be there doing such things [myself] because that’s what you play for, that’s what you practice for,” Unadkat added.
In total, Unadkat has played one Test, seven ODIs, and ten T20Is for India.
